Trousers-press.



PAllENTED JAN. 23, 1906.

M. H. STRAUS. TROUSERS PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED APB..10,1905.

4 INVENTUR WlTNESSES if 777M BY M ATTORNEY UNITED STATES Parana craves.

TROUSERS-PRESS- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1906.

Application filed April 10, 1905. Serial No. 254,838.

To all whom, it m/m/ concern.-

Be it known that I, MOSES H. STRAUS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in TrousersPresses, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for pressing trousers; and it consists in the means hereinafter described in the specification, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of this invention is to press trousers, but not to stretch them, to remove the wrinkles therefrom.

Another object is to construct the apparatus so that the parts thereof may be detached, the pressure-boards folded, and the entire pafts packed into small compass to be portab e.

I attain these objects by means of the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which similar numerals of reference designate like parts throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my invention of a trousers-press. Fig. 2 is a side view of one of the clamping-boards thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail plan view of one of the binding-blocks wherein the binding-screws of the clamps are screwed. Fig. 5 is a detail side view of the same. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the pressure-plate. Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view of one of the thumb or binding screws; and Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view of one of the press-boards, showing the manner of lacing the cover thereof.

This trousers-press comprises the upper press-board 1 and the lower press-board 2, each of which are divided intermediate their ends so as to break joint, as shown in the perspective view, Fig. 1. The press-boards 1 and 2 are provided with canvas or other suitable covers 3 and 4, of moisture-absorbing mate rial, the edges of which are lapped over the edges upon the back edges of said boards, and along the edges of said canvas covers are arranged at intervals apart a series of holes or eyelets 5, throughwhich the lacing 6 is passed to draw said canvas covers tightly over the bearing-faces of said press-boards, which contact the trousers to be pressed. At the joints of (see Fig. 1) and on the backs of each of said boards are the hinges 7, which connect the two divided sections (the longer and the shorter) of the press-boards together and permit said sections to be folded one upon the other to be packed into small compass.

At or near the ends of each of the press boards are placed the clamp-yokes 8, both of which are alike, and intermediate the clampyokes 8 other clamps may be placed, if such are necessary, to produce a uniform pressure on the trousers to be pressed throughout the entire length of the press-boards. Since the clamp-yokes are alike, a description of one will suflice. A pressure plate 9 (see particularly Fig. 6) is placed within and on the bottom of each of the clamp-yokes 8, so that their end gaps 1O embrace the opposite vertical sides of their clamp-yokes 8 and are adapted to rest on the bottom sides or crossbars of said clamp-yokes, and on these pressure-plates rests the lower press-board 2. Above the upper press-board 1 rests another pressure-plate, similar in every respect to the lower pressure-plate 9, which is provided for the purpose of forming a reinforcing backing for the top pressure-boards. Situated within the clamp and above the upper pressureplate is the thumb-screw plate 11, which is also provided with end gaps 12, which embrace the vertical sides of the clamp-yokes 8, and thumb-screw holes 13 are provided and threaded to receive the thumb screws 14. The thumb-screws 14 project through the enlarged openings 15, formed in the top of the clamp-yokes 8 to pass therethrough and to freely turn therein. The ends of the thumbscrews 14 are reduced at their bottom ends to fit into the buttons 16, which are each provided with a shield or face 17 of rubber,which latter forms a yielding bearing and prevents sli in using this apparatus the bottom pressure plates 9 are first placed within the clamp-yokes 8. The end of the press-board 2 which has been previously covered with canvas or a moisture-absorbing material in the manner described is placed with its ends in the clamp -yokes 8, so that the pressboard 2 rests on said pressure-plates 9. The trousers to be pressed are now folded and laid on this board, and the press-board 1, similar to the press-board 2, is placed with its face down and resting upon the trousers to be pressed. Prior to placing the pressureboards in this position the canvas which is stretched on the boards is thoroughly moistened with a wet sponge or other suitable means for applying moisture. The upper pressure-plates are then placed within the clamp-yokes 8 to rest upon the back or top sides of the press-board 1. The thumbscrews 11 are next placed within the clampyokes 8, to be situated in the top portion thereof above the top pressure-plates 9. The thumb-screws are now passed throu h the holes 15 and screwed into the threade holes 13, formed in the thumb-screw plate. The buttons 16 are now applied to the reduced ends of the thumb-screws 14 and said screws are screwed downwardly till the shielded or rubbered ends of the buttons 16 press tightly against the upper pressure-plates 9. The machine with the trousers placed therein is now permitted to remain thus for a space of a few hours, when the trousers are ready to be removed.

When it is desired to press an entire suit of clothes, each of the garments constituting a suit of clothes is placed on separate pressboards-that is to say, the trousers are placed upon the bottom press-board, a press-board is placed on the top, and a properly-folded coat is placed on the top of said press-board, and another press-board is placed on the top of said coat. The vest is now placed on the top of the latter press-board and still another press-board is placed on top of the vest, and thus the press-boards are built up so that an individual piece of the suit is sandwiched between separate press-boards, and'the pressboards thus built up are introduced between the clamp-yokes in a manner similar to the method described for pressing trousers.

When using a plurality of press-boards, it is essential to cover the same with a moistureabsorbing material, so that instead of being laced, as shown in Fig. 8, the lace-seam will be arranged to extend along the edge of the board so as to present a smooth moist surface to the garments in contact with each side of the press-board.

Having thus fully described this my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire to cover by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is

1. In a knockdown trousers press, the combination with upper and lower pressboards each of which are divided into hingedly-connected longer and shorter folding sections, of a removable moisture absorbing covering stretched over each of said pressboards, and a detachable clamping means comprising removable clamping-yokes whereby the upper and lower press-boards are held in clamped position, screwplates carried thereby and press board clamping screws passing through said screw-plates.

2. In a knockdown trousers press, the combination with upper and lower pressboards each of which are divided into hingedly-connected longer and shorter folding sections, of a removable moisture absorbing covering, means for stretching said moistureabsorbin covering over said press-boards, detachab e clamping-yokes surrounding said upper and lower press-boards to hold the latter in their relative positions, and a clamping means comprising a lower pressure-plate, an upper pressure-plate, a thumb-screw plate, thumb-screws and friction-producing buttons of a yielding material pivoted on the ends of said thumb-screws.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MOSES H. STRAUS.

Witnesses:

JOHN J ONES, S. B. ADAMS. 

